


White Rose

by The_Dark_Kunoichi



Category: Magic Kaito, 名探偵コナン | Detective Conan | Case Closed
Genre: 1412, Action, Adventure, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Twins, Angst, Black Organization (Meitantei Conan), Character Death, Crime, Crossdressing, Crossdressing Kaito, False Identity, Family, Fem!Kaito, Female Kaito, Friendship, Genderbent Kaito, Girl Kaito, Heists, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, I think I made my point already, International Criminal 1412, Jewels, Kaito Has a Twin, Kaitou KID - Freeform, Kaitou KID Task Force - Freeform, Magic, Magic Kaito Organization, Magic Tricks, Male Kaitou KID but is really a female, Master of Disguise, Mistaken Identity, Pandora - Freeform, Police, Romance, Theft, Thief, Tragedy, Twin Brother - Freeform, Twin sister, Voice Imitation, White Rose - Freeform, disguises, fraternal twins, identity crisis, magician
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-06
Updated: 2017-04-15
Packaged: 2018-07-29 18:00:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 17,283
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7694044
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Dark_Kunoichi/pseuds/The_Dark_Kunoichi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>[Fem!Kaito] Kuroba Kagami has been lying and deceiving people her whole life, so much so that she has simply become a master of the art. Pretending to be her dead twin Kaito had been the beginning. But with the recent murder of her father, she knew she has no choice but to take up his mantle too. After all, Kaitou KID will just be another one of her many masks...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> **IMPORTANT:** _Do not be confused by Kagami and Kaito and Fem!Kaito. What you need to know is that Kagami has the personality of the original Kaito, only that she's female. Kagami's dead twin brother Kaito is a different boy in terms of personality, but not in looks. So in a way, Kagami is really a female Kaito and not just some random OC masquerading as Kaito._
> 
> _Another thing is that I really, REALLY like using the name Kagami in my stories, so don't get confused by the different Kagami's floating around. Here, Kagami is the twin sister of Kaito. In my story 'Clover Tales', Kagami is Kaito's reincarnated younger sister from our world. There's a difference, trust me._
> 
> _So I just got this idea from all the genderbent stories I see here. I usually just see Fem!Shinichi, and only one or two stories with a girl Kaito so I cooked up this story from the depths of my mind. xD If you liked the prologue and want me to continue this, just say so and leave some comments._
> 
> _Just a reminder, I will not be focusing much on the romance. There will be some, but it won't be the main focus of the story. And if you're worried that Kaito being a girl would make her weak or a crybaby, don't be. She'll be just as badass and awesome as the original boy Kaito._
> 
> _Again, if you would like me to continue this story, don't be shy and just leave a comment! Constructive criticism is also welcome!_

The sound of a gun shot suddenly pierced through the air, effectively shocking everyone enough to stop the mad chase presently occurring. All except for one.

The Taskforce watched with wide eyes as the person they were chasing, International Criminal 1412, was up and across the room in a blink of an eye, suddenly appearing with a whirl of his mantle in front of their equally shocked Inspector before abruptly staggering back. A mild grunt of pain later on and the police immediately realized what happened.

Kaitou KID had been shot.

Inspector Nakamori Ginzou is shocked speechless, eyes taking in the slumped form of the Thief who, if he remembered correctly, had actually _protected_ him. Trained eyes observed as the normally pristine white suit slowly turned a deep red color near the left shoulder area, with the man himself looking both unnaturally pale and unstable; a sharp contrast to the incredibly hyper and cheerful thief earlier that night. Gathering his courage, Nakamori took a hesitant step towards the Thief, who looked like he didn't notice, "KID..."

_"Stop."_

Nakamori immediately froze, the slight hint of desperation in KID's tone helping his decision, though his eyes never left his adversary. His men followed suit, tensely waiting for an order by their Inspector.

A moment passed with only KID's laboured and harsh breathing filling the silence. Finally, Nakamori couldn't take it anymore and swallowed nervously, before hesitantly asking, "KID, are you... are you _alright?"_

 _Of course he isn't!_ Nakamori silently berated himself when the Thief's eyes flashed with slight amusement, before visibly grimacing in pain. Nakamori winced and tried to retract his statement. "That isn't.. I meant-"

 _"I need you to leave this place, k-keibu."_ KID abruptly cut him off, before wincing and placing a hand on his injured shoulder. _"Quickly, before they shoot you again."_

"Before they shoot...? What the hell KID, you're hurt! It's _you_ who should damn leave!"

 _"Keibu,"_ KID suddenly began in a dead serious tone, a rare occurrence for the usually cheerful Thief. _"R-Right now, they're angry at_ you _for almost losing the jewel, not me. Get out of here right NOW."_

And at that moment, Nakamori knew that this is no ordinary situation. The Thief isn't easily flustered, but when he is, it's not something to be taken lightly. He wasn't even _this_ panicked when it had been Nakamori himself firing at him like a possessed maniac. Whoever those people are, KID is extremely wary of them. And that just shows that they are dangerous enough to warrant the Phantom Thief's full attention. "A-Alright. But you're comi- WATCH OUT!"

The warning was all the Thief needed. With an almost inhumane speed, KID swiftly dodged the bullet aimed for him, spinning out of the way before landing crouched beside a startled and slightly amazed Nakamori. Unfortunately, the sudden movement violently jostled his wounded shoulder. and the Thief involuntarily let out a cry of pain, the few uncovered parts of his face they can see rapidly turning chalk white. Gritting his teeth and cursing under his breath, KID suddenly took hold of his mantle and covered his face with it, before the room suddenly exploded with thick, white smoke...

...

Inspector Nakamori and the Task Force later found themselves standing inside the secure vault where the jewel was previously contained, with no one having _any_ idea just how the injured Thief brought them there without any of them noticing. There was no longer any sign of KID, the jewel, or the shooter.

**

.

~oOo~

.

**

Well into the hours of the night, a white figure suddenly dropped down from the sky and into a dark alley, his landing quick and silent as a wraith. A blink of an eye and the previously white figure is now wearing all black, though he now looked pained as he pressed a hand to his shoulder, trying in vain to stem the rapid flow of blood. A moment later, an old man wearing a hat and a jacket quickly ushered the other man into the car he arrived in, before leaving just as abruptly. The whole thing only took a few seconds.

**

.

~oOo~

.

**

Deep indigo eyes gazed noncommittally at the mirror, his attention solely focused on the wound on his left shoulder now covered in bandages. The men in black are getting reckless with their guns, something he knew he should've foreseen happening. He can't do a safe heist when those trigger-happy fools are around and shooting at everyone who got a clear grab at his target jewel.

This is quickly getting out of hand.

"Kagami-ojousama, please lay down and rest. You will need all your strength for school tomorrow morning."

A weary sigh and the violet eyes are now trained on the old, worried assistant and family friend, who actually looked like he was going to wrestle him to the bed if he didn't move soon. "Jii-chan, how many times do I have to tell you to stop calling me that name? It's _'Kaito'._ K-A-I-T-O." He... _(she?)_ leaned back and groaned, "Seriously, one day you'll eventually slip up and then it will all be over."

"I apologize, Kagami-ojousama," the old man bowed solemnly, while _still_ using that name. "but if I start to do that, then any traces of the real you will be gone. Please allow me to use it. Only in private, of course."

A grimace flashed across the face of the sixteen year old girl before she finally nodded in defeat. In her experience, Jii is as stubborn as a mule and as dedicated as a dog. There's no convincing him otherwise. However, on the bright side... "At least you don't add _'-chan'_ in it like Kaa-san does." she mumbled.

Jii smiled knowingly, "You'll never forgive me if I did that."

"Right you are." Kuroba Kagami slowly laid on her bed, careful not to jostle her injured shoulder. The pain is still there, and her shoulder ached so massively she dreaded how it would feel tomorrow morning. However, there's no backing out now. She absolutely _can't_ reveal that she's injured on that particular shoulder, or Nakamori-keibu will instantly see the connection. No, it's best to just grin and bear it.

"Will you be alright tomorrow, ojousama?" Jii asked worriedly.

Kagami immediately flashed him a playful grin in response, "Of course I will be! Who do you take me for, a common criminal? I am the Kaitou KID, and I'm the best darn actor in the world!"

"Actress, you mean." Jii corrected mildly.

"Nope. _Actor."_ Kagami's grin widened, trying to hide the dull ache she felt whenever she got reminded of her true gender. While Jii meant well by using her real name, she still can't help but cringe away from any mention of it. She is Kuroba _Kaito,_ damn it!

Though it seems Jii is more observant than she thought, for he pinned her again with those worried eyes that made her feel really guilty. "Kagami-ojousama, you _know_ this isn't healthy for you."

She almost barked out a laugh at the HUGE understatement in that sentence. As it is, she just looked at him in amusement. "What is? Masquerading as an international thief at night? Getting shot at? Or is it because I'm living life as my brother?" She gazed at him coolly, "I know what I'm doing, and I'm _happy_ Jii-chan. Besides, as far as everyone is concerned, Kuroba Kagami is the twin buried in the grave right now, while Kuroba Kaito is the one who survived. And let's just hope it stays that way." She abruptly turned away, signalling that the conversation is now over.

There were a few silent moments before she finally heard Jii sigh in defeat, before turning to leave the room. But just before he closed the door, he muttered something that, if she weren't already ridiculously sensitive, she wouldn't have heard. As it is, she heard him plain and clear as day.

_"No one is truly happy when living a lie."_

And the door clicked shut, leaving Kagami in pensive silence.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's the next day. Kagami reminisces and continues to act as a boy while Aoko announces the return of one half-British detective, who just can't keep his suspicions and accusations to himself. Meanwhile, a red-haired witch brings _very_ bad news.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Quicksilver and the Marvel comics. Nor the slight reference to a quote in Disney's Mulan.
> 
> Thank you for the warm comments guys! It certainly spurred me on to write the next chapter immediately. I hope you still enjoy it and please PLEASE continue to comment! Your opinions and thoughts to me are like jewels to Kaitou KID. They're precious, though I can't exactly return them. xD
> 
>  **IMPORTANT:** As you will later see, in every chapter I will always start with flashbacks from Kagami and Kaito's childhood so don't get confused. And also, don't be confused in the narration later on. Remember that Twin Kaito is dead and that the 'Kaito' here is Kagami, who has the original Kaito's attitude, only laced with a few girly things. No one knows that he is really a she, though only a certain character does (you'll find out later.)
> 
> And lastly, credits to Megan De Brún for letting me use her work titled 'Prophecy' as a base for my own work here. It really helped me a lot~ If you like poetry, you should check out her works and the others in the site. They're all brilliant and very well written! Just type her name in Google with the words 'allpoetry' or you can go directly to the site itself: Allpoetry dot com.
> 
>  **P.S.** The prophecy is very significant to the plot, so I hope you won't be turned off by it. It will make sense, I promise.

**...**

_Wide indigo eyes watched as small hands expertly passed and spun the coin around his hands and fingers, the speed getting faster and faster until the coin finally disappeared in a blur and in its previous place now sat a small dove._

 _Six year old Kagami immediately gaped in shock and her wide gaze quickly switched from the unmoving coin on her palm and at the dove on her brother's and back again. "How did you_ do _that?!"_

_Kuroba Kaito, six years old and older by several minutes than Kagami (or so he claimed) instantly grinned at his twin's disbelieving expression and replied, his tone teasing but warm. "Would you hit me if I told you it was 'magic'?"_

_A punch and a cry of pain answered Kaito's question, "OW! Damn it sis, I was joking!"_

_Kagami snorted at the overly hurt expression her brother was wearing and cuffed him on the head, "Just tell me how you did it. I can't even figure out how to swap it with the damn dove!"_

_"Language Mi-chan," Kaito 'tutted'. "You'll be in BIG trouble if Kaa-san and Tou-san heard you."_

_"Hmmph! Like you didn't say it too!"_

_Kaito stuck out his tongue. "No witnesses!"_

_"Why you-!"_

_"Whoa stop!" Kaito quickly held up two hands in surrender, now devoid of any doves. "I won't be able to teach you if you beat me up now!"_

_Kagami blinked in surprise before stepping back, "Huh. I guess that makes sense."_

_"See? I-"_

_"I'll just beat you up later."_

_Kaito sighed in exasperation. "Why do I even try?"_

_"Come on, didn't you say you're going to show me how to do it?"_

_He sighed again, "I_ did _say that didn't I?"_

_"Kai-chaaaan~! Come oooon!"_

_"Alright, alright! I'll do it one more time and you better watch it carefully."_

_"Haaaaiii~"_

_Kagami immediately frowned in concentration as Kaito started the coin trick again. She carefully watched the rapidly moving coin, trying hard to spot how it's done. She didn't notice her brother watching her fondly, a small smile on his lips. He opened his mouth to make a remark, when..._

_"You're really the better magician out of the two of us, Kai-chan."_

_Kaito immediately closed his mouth and frowned at that abrupt statement, "Don't say that, we're_ both _good at it."_

_"Maybe. After it takes me about fifty tries." Kagami glanced at him and smiled warmly, "You pick things up a lot quicker and you're a natural at Tou-san's lessons. Your hands are also just right for magic. Mine are too small, It's obvious that I'll be having difficulties when I'm older. You're definitely the better one out of the two of us."_

_"Mi-chan..."_

_"Don't protest, it's alright." She then grinned, "Just help me catch up with the other tricks and we're good."_

_Kaito quietly stared as his sister turned to try to do the coin trick yet again, a grin still firmly on her face. Kagami's mask is good, but Kaito's always been better at reading her, so he knows that she's still feeling a bit sore from her apparent 'lack of skill' necessary for magic. For her, there's a reason why girls rarely become magicians, whether through small hands or lack of enthusiasm for the art. But in truth, she's already better than average and keeps improving as time goes on. And it's about time he let her know that._

_"Kagami," His sister turned to look at him curiously. "You'll be better than me in the future. I just_ know _it."_

_Kagami instantly looked annoyed, "Kaito..."_

_"Don't protest." Kaito immediately cut her off, barely noticing that he echoed her previous words. He smiled reassuringly, "You'll be better than me. You'll be better than Tou-san. You'll be famous, and then the time will come when you won't be needing my help anymore. I'm_ certain _of it."_

_When he turned to look at her again, he found his sister looking completely gobsmacked. Normally, he'd gloat when he made her speechless like this (his twin often had a running motor for a mouth) but this is hardly the time. He was shocked when her eyes suddenly filled with tears. "K-Kaito..." She sniffed._

_"Whoa! Don't cry! Mi-chan, hey..." He quickly took her in his arms and hugged her tight. He always_ did _hate it whenever he made his sister cry. It's like an unspoken law about twins: 'Never do anything to make your twin upset', and he just did a damn fine job of it. "I'm sorry Mimi..." He murmured, unconsciously using her childhood name._

_"No, it's okay. It's just... you sounded really sappy back there!" Kagami laughed tearfully, making her brother's eyelid twitch. She quickly sobered up, "No seriously, thanks Kaito."_

_"Riiight." He mumbled and smiled. "But don't forget, I still bet you'll be a great magician in the future. And you'll see how right I am then! You'll be famous and you'll probably do huge shows like Tou-san and you'll have your own title and then_ I'll _be famous too of course and we'll be rich and then we'll perform together on Broadway or something and make lots of cash!"_

 _She giggled as her brother made it off to dreamland again, his eyes shining excitedly. All their life, it had been their dream; to be famous magicians like their father and to perform on a lot of shows. Now the only thing left is to see which of them will be famous first. Her eyes glittered with amusement. "And of course,_ I'll _be the first to get a taste of the fame."_

_"No way! It's mine first!" He stuck out a tongue before grinning mischievously, "Go big or go home, right?"_

**...**

_"Right..."_

A vein on her forehead involuntarily twitched when a sudden jolt of pain ran through her body, courtesy of Aoko accidentally bumping into her injured, aching limb. She bit back a curse before hastily plastering on a smile when Aoko turned to look at her again. "You agree?"

"Of course! I'm absolutely _ecstatic."_ She didn't bother hiding the sarcasm heavily leaking from her words. Aoko is one of the few people in the world where she can be her normal, caustic self, and she's making the most of it. Especially concerning _this_ situation. _Mission: Annoy both Aoko and the British bastard en masse... begin!_ "Hakuba coming back here so soon is _greaaat._ Awesome, even! This magician is _completely_ honored to be graced by the divine presence of his Lord Geekiness. In fact, this _truly_ humble magician is _not_ worthy and ABSOLUTELY horrified to be in the very vicinity of his great, pompous-"

" _Now_ you're just insulting him." Aoko abruptly cut her off with an annoyed look, though the faint smile on her lips suggested otherwise. "Hakuba-kun's not _that_ bad."

"No," 'Kaito' agreed, "He's _worse."_

" _Excuse me_ for not living up to your expectations, Kuroba-kun. Though I assure you, I'm not exactly _thrilled_ to be in your ever cocky presence so soon either." Hakuba replied calmly from behind her before turning to smile fondly at Aoko. "Hello again Aoko-kun."

"Hakuba-kun!" Aoko smiled at him warmly, "What brought you back here so soon? I thought you're staying in England for another three weeks?"

"Well, I _planned_ to, until I received news from some sources that the Kaitou KID himself got shot in his last heist." He shot a pointed look at the perfectly normal and innocent looking Kaito. " _Naturally,_ I came to investigate."

"Well, you're not wrong about that." Aoko confirmed.

"And it looks like you love and care _sooo_ much about KID-sama that you immediately took the last flight back to Japan the moment you heard huh?" Kaito grinned before frowning at him in confusion, "Though I wonder why you're here in school and not at the heist location. Surely you would look into the scene first?"

Hakuba faintly felt his eyelid twitch as the magician continued to be oblivious of his accusations. Not the first time, but it irritated him nonetheless. "I'm going to do that later. Right now, I just want to see if the rumors are true."

"You mean by reading the newspaper?" Again, his remark sailed right over the oblivious (mostly likely not) magician's head. "Because I have one right here." And then, to no one's surprise, Kuroba swiftly brought out his handkerchief and proceeded to form it to a ball before containing it inside his cupped hands. A countdown from 3 to 1 and the magician suddenly extended his arms above his head at the same time as a completely normal newspaper popped into existence in a cluster of confetti. He immediately clutched it in his hands and held it out in front of him, almost shoving the **'Kaitou KID, Shot!'** headline on the front page in Hakuba's face. Sometimes, Hakuba wondered just how prepared Kuroba is to always do tricks like that on a whim, while always managing to annoy him in the process.

There's also another thing he didn't miss. If KID is _indeed_ injured in the shoulder like the Inspector reported, then it should be absolutely _painful_ for Kuroba to extend his arms right above his head. But the irritating magician doesn't look pained, nor does he look the slightest bit uncomfortable, and that narrowed it down to two reasons: Either he _does_ have the injury but is just extremely good at hiding it (he wouldn't put it past him), or he _doesn't_ have the injury at all, which is immediately refuted by Hakuba because he's just _so_ sure that Kuroba is the KID.

_(Meanwhile, Kagami is inwardly wincing at the terrible pain that ran through her body and just wanted to cry, all the while cursing Hakuba's very existence and all his ancestors and his cow.)_

Aoko didn't look surprised nor did she notice the inner turmoil surrounding both boys who are now glaring daggers at each other. Instead, she just looked over Kaito's shoulder with brows furrowed and read the article aloud, "It says here that the shooter is still on the loose, but that KID wasn't the original target." Aoko instantly looked curious, "So who's the original targe- _OTOU-SAN?!?"_ Hakuba and Kaito both cringed away as the abrupt shout painfully assaulted their eardrums. She looked positively horrified, and it's immediately clear that the Inspector didn't say anything to his daughter about it. "A-And that... and that KID saved him and that's why he was shot!?"

Hakuba looked over at Kuroba, whose face looked oddly grim but not surprised. "I read that article this morning, and it just made me feel so mad." His eyes narrowed, "Who's crazy enough to shoot a police inspector in such a public place? At a KID heist, of all things."

Hakuba kept his gaze on his classmate's face, trying to figure out if there is a double meaning behind that statement. He knows that Kuroba is probably already aware of his own enemies, such is KID's reputation, but was his question _really_ just a question? "Some people say KID has several enemies." He replied carefully, "Some wield guns."

"But _why!?"_ Kuroba suddenly wailed and looked at him tearfully, "Why would they hate KID-sama?! He's done nothing wrong! He doesn't even _hurt_ people!"

"He _steals,_ and that's a crime in itself." Hakuba shot back.

"But KID's method of stealing doesn't deserve immediate _death!"_ Kuroba continued to wail, "I thought you're a detective? Why do you want someone dead?!"

"I don't want him _dead!"_ Hakuba is now certain his vein is going to pop from irritation any moment now. "I'm just saying that he performs a crime because he steals, and that's reason enough for people to hate him."

Kuroba shot him a look, "Pretty sure you and Aoko are the only people out there who hates him. Maybe _you're_ the one who shot him?"

Before Hakuba could even splutter in shock and disbelief, Aoko reined Kaito in by cuffing her on the head. Hard.

"Guys, stop it! Personally, I... I guessIhavetoagreewithKaitojustthisonce!"

 _"Huh?"_ Both magician/thief and detective spun around to stare in shock at Aoko who suddenly turned red at their attention. "Repeat that please, Aoko? I'm pretty sure only Quicksilver heard you." Kaito said a bit sarcastically. Hakuba, though, just stayed frozen in disbelief.

Aoko ducked her head, "I said that... _that I guess I agree with Kaito just this once..."_ she mumbled.

Kaito slowly raised an eyebrow, "And I'm _pretty_ sure this time, only bats heard you."

Aoko turned red in embarrassment and anger and quickly smacked Kaito in the face, sending the magician straight to the floor. "I know you heard me _Bakaito!_ Don't make me repeat it again!"

"Alright, alright, sheesh..." Kagami carefully rubbed her aching head, mentally adding 'possible concussion' to her updated list of injuries. "I guess what I have to ask now, and I'm pretty sure that's also what Hakuba," she pointed to the still frozen British detective, "wants me to find out is **_'WHY?'_** "

"Well..." She bowed her head at their scrutiny, though her expression looks kind of sad. "Kaito's right in saying that KID hasn't really hurt people. Unless it's their pride. He just steals and goes, and then he returns it, and the cycle repeats. Maybe he can make enemies with the people he steals from, but from what I saw, most people seem to like it when he does. I can't imagine anyone hating him enough to want him and even the police dead."

Hakuba subtly sneaked a glance at Kuroba's face at that comment, which he noticed held a mixture between surprise and disbelief. There's a hint of joy, but it doesn't seem like the kind of joy he would express at finding out that his best friend didn't really hate his alter ego and thus, him.

"It's certainly mysterious. Sounds like it's right up your alley, detective." Kuroba nodded at him, before turning back to Aoko. "I still can't believe it. After all the rants you did in the past, some nearly managing to break my eardrums at the loudness, and you suddenly say that you didn't actually _hate_ Kaitou KID?! How about all the suffering I endured?!"

Aoko rolled her eyes, " _Ba~ka._ I only agreed that he hasn't hurt anyone, I still hate him for stealing my father away from me. Though I don't want the guy dead just because of that. Maybe only maimed. Or tortured."

Kagami inwardly winced, but managed to paste an annoyed expression for the benefit of her ever so attentive detective audience, "You're so cruel _Ahoko!_ What if one day, KID-sama landed right in front of you without doing anything? Are you going to bash his innocent head in with that hellish mop of yours... you sick, _sick_ girl?"

 _Holy crap!_ Both she and Hakuba quickly took several steps back when Aoko suddenly produced said mop out of nowhere (probably from hell), eyes glinting. "Well, _first_ I should probably thank him for saving my dad from being shot. Maybe even give him a head start because of that. And _then_ I'm free to bash his head in." She grinned cheerfully at the look of horror on both the boys' faces. "Thanks for the suggestion Kaito!"

 _Mission: Annoy both Aoko and the British bastard en masse... abort! Retreat! Retreat!_ _"Ahh..._ I'll just... uh.. I'll just be going now..." Kaito laughed uneasily before quickly disappearing in a puff of smoke, having absolutely _no_ qualms at all in leaving Hakuba all alone to face Aoko's wrath. Suits the British bastard right.

**

.

~oOo~

.

**

"Why in such a rush, Kuroba-san?"

'Kaito' instantly froze in the process of leaving the classroom door, her body slightly tensing at the feminine voice that she knows does _not_ belong to Aoko. Dread filled her as familiar red hair suddenly came into view, and Kaito slowly turned to face the one most people dubbed as 'The Most Beautiful Woman in Ekoda'.

Though she never _did_ see why that is.

"None of your business, Akako." She snapped. They haven't really got on well ever since Akako found out with that damn voodoo methods of hers about her true gender and name. Likewise, Akako is still a bit sore that Kagami managed to deceive her for so long. They have managed to tolerate each other mostly, but to her ongoing confusion, Akako has _always_ helped her whenever it comes to matters concerning KID (which Kagami of course, _always_ denies being associated to.) So much so that Kagami has come to develop theories about it. One such theory is that she probably thought helping KID would make Kagami indebted to her, (which will never _ever_ happen. Nuh-uh. NOPE.)

And another theory, (and one she doesn't even want to think about without hurling or something) is that the red-haired witch may have a _crush_ on her alter ego. A. CRUSH.

...Kagami suddenly felt like hurling again.

But still... the signs are right there!

Nope. She's _really_ going to hurl.

"A bit snippy today, aren't you?" Oblivious to her disturbing thoughts, Akako laughed delicately, the sound instantly attracting the attention of a few dozen boys around them who suddenly looked love-struck. Kagami almost rolled her eyes at their shallowness. She knows Kaito would _never_ be as air-headed as them, he was too smart for that, thank god. _"Sooo_ do you have something to say? Because I _really_ need to go somewhere and it'll probably be best if you get to the point already." Her impatient tone immediately received glares from the male population, who just can't wrap their brains around the fact that only 'Kaito' is not in love with Koizumi Akako. (Even _Hakuba_ has a crush!) Thank the heavens she's a girl.

To her surprise, Akako suddenly looked serious. "Not here. Follow me."

Kagami immediately felt a frown work its way into her face before she suddenly found herself being dragged away from the growing male crowds by the red-haired witch.

**

.

~oOo~

.

**

_"Now_ what is it?" Kagami asked the moment they entered the rooftop. She didn't fancy being dragged all the way here just to exchange insults with the witch.

She watched as Akako surreptitiously glanced at her from the corner of her eye before staring at the view again, actually looking a bit uneasy; a rare emotion for the witch. "I received a disturbing warning and... and I want you to hear me out."

"A warning? From who? _Lucifer?"_ Kagami almost scoffed at the name before abruptly stopping herself. There's no use antagonizing someone when you're not sure if he's real or not. Better be safe than sorry. Besides... Akako _did_ help her sometimes in the past... and always by claiming _Lucifer_ is behind it. "Alright, alright, let's hear it."

At her confirmation, Akako visibly seemed to collect herself, before suddenly turning to look at Kagami directly in the eyes. She was immediately struck at how serious she looked, and she found herself dreading her next words. "What you need to know is that last night's shooting at KID's heist will _not_ end there. They _will_ strike again, and when they do, you will not be able to protect those around you much longer..."

"Whoa, whoa, wait. First off, why would someone be shooting at me in the first place?" Kagami slowly raised a well-practiced eyebrow, still trying to play the part of someone suspected of being KID, (who she got a lot of practice for because of Hakuba) and at the same time trying to delay knowing about the warning. "Secondly, are you sure I'm the right person you should be telling this to?"

Akako narrowed her eyes, obviously not buying it. "Would you prefer I do not tell you more?"

"Not really..." Kagami admitted. Unlike her late twin Kaito, who had basically scoffed at anything even remotely supernatural, she's a bit more accepting of it. And from the sounds of it, this warning is _not_ going to be pleasant. She'll hear this out. "Okay, continue."

"Thank you." Akako smiled sweetly, before quickly turning serious once again. "This is really the part I want you to hear about, and I hope you will make sense of it quicker than I did. I warn you now, the contents are _very_ disturbing." She then exhaled softly, before suddenly releasing a string of words that immediately made Kagami blanch in horror at the implications:

_

.

"The purple rain will weep and whimper,

the green wind shall scream and groan;

the red moon might get lost,

when the blue sun disappears to roam.

The white rose will fall through darkness,

when the Lady abandons thee.

Twilight is coming, be prepared,

The crows shall rejoice in victory."

.

_

The witch suddenly backed off, startling Kagami a bit since she didn't notice that Akako had moved closer throughout the entire reciting of the prophecy _(AN ACTUAL PROPHECY! What in the hell is this world coming to?!)_ The witch smiled sardonically at Kagami's dumbfounded expression, obviously amused by something. "Personally, I think Lucifer is getting a bit too old because that prophecy is horrendously easy; though with your brilliant mind, I'm sure you can figure it out."

"But... But that just sounds like a set of instructions you picked out of a gardening book, just with all the colors wrong!" Kagami protested halfheartedly, all the while, her brain is already whirring and picking that horrifying prophecy apart in pieces. Normally, she would question the validity of it. Even for her, an actual prophecy that can dictate the future is _waaay_ too much. But the last line cemented her resolve, as well as successfully terrifying her at the implied meaning. After all, even Akako shouldn't know about the Organization, but here she was, spouting off an entire PROPHECY about it.

_

...

-"The crows shall rejoice in victory."-

...

_

She suddenly felt nauseous.

"I know how much it would weigh on you Kuroba-san," Akako said quietly, her gaze all-knowing. "So I'm here to offer advice."

Kagami immediately shot her a highly-suspicious look, "I know for a fact that those kinds of advice don't come free. Witches always demands a price, right?"

"Not this time." Akako smiled darkly, looking almost mysterious. " _You_ don't have to worry about the price."

Kagami's eyes instantly widened in shock, _"What did you d-?"_

"My advice is this," The witch interrupted, turning serious once again. "Gather the red moon and the blue sun first. The green wind and the purple rain are wildcards so it's best if you don't include them at first."

"Just as I thought," Kagami nodded grimly, "Those gardening things are people?"

"Yes."

"And that's the only hint?"

"Perhaps."

"Why are you helping me?"

Akako paused in surprise at the unexpected question. To prevent her from stalling and avoiding to answer, Kagami began staring at her HARD; cold indigo meeting harsh red, in a show of challenge.

To her shock, Akako actually backed down. The witch then shuffled a bit nervously on her feet, (again, not a typical emotion for her) before finally replying, "I... I guess because if I have to choose between the savage crows and the charming white rose..." She hesitantly glanced at the frozen Kagami, "Then I will pick the rose."

And then she spun on her heel and abruptly left, the dropped hint (whether intentional or unintentional, it doesn't matter) still ringing in Kagami's ears...

_..._

_White Rose - Kuroba Kagami_

_Crows - The Organization_

_..._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PLEASE COMMENT! Say anything you want to say! Remember: JEWELS! *If you don't get this then you didn't read my author's note and I will be really sad... :( *
> 
> Again, the prophecy will be significant to the plot, so I hope you won't be turned off by it. It will make sense, I promise. And also, you're free to figure out what it means. Tell me in the comments, I would LOVE to hear what you discovered, though I obviously won't say if it's right or wrong.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the talk on the rooftop, Aoko and the whole class began noticing 'Kaito's' depressed mood, and assumes it's because of _something else._

The whole class is plain _terrified._ The atmosphere is stifling and thick, everyone is on guard.

Even the teacher would sometimes falter in her discussions, whole body tense and ready to bolt at the slightest sign of anything unusual. Some students looked like they want to glance at a certain person sitting near the window, but changed their minds at the last second. Nobody _wants_ to be the victim after all.

The only one brave enough is Aoko who kept glancing at her extremely silent best friend, knowing that she's the only one in here who actually felt worried for him. Hakuba just looks wary and suspicious, while Akako doesn't even bother looking at all. Kaito is just staring at the view outside, face cold and neutral.

Aoko realized she doesn't like seeing that face on him.

"Ne... _Kaito?"_

She could practically feel the whole classroom tense up.

She watched as Kaito absently mumbled in reply, though his cold eyes never left the window.

She tried again, "Kaito... are you... are you _alright?"_

To her confusion, Kaito's eyes suddenly flashed with amusement against the glass, and she distinctly heard him mutter something about _'like father like daughter'_ or something along those lines, before finally turning to look at her. "Sorry Aoko, just thinking."

Again, the class tensed. A thinking Kaito is a scheming Kaito, and everyone knows just how bad a scheming Kaito can be. Unfortunately, Kaito didn't miss the action. He suddenly grinned at them all mischievously, his previous blank expression falling away like water, _"Awww~_ I didn't know you guys actually _missed_ being pranked! Why didn't you just say so?"

In five seconds flat, all the chairs suddenly teleported several feet away from Kaito's own, leaving Aoko, Hakuba, and Akako the only ones in their original places. Kagami instantly frowned in confusion; Aoko and Akako, she can understand. Those two can and will totally _kill_ her if they really tried. The latter more likely than the former, so they can stay. But _Hakuba?_

'Kaito's' grin suddenly widened and his eyes shot towards the half-British detective (who suddenly tensed) in amusement, "You seem to be getting a bit too slow on joining our classmates huddling over there, Hakuba- _ojiichan~"_ A snap of his fingers and smoke suddenly puffed up around Hakuba's head, causing him to scramble to his feet in shock. Too late, his hair is now dyed bright white with streaks of grey, making him look a lot older than he really is. Kaito nodded in satisfaction. _"Now_ you look the part."

Hakuba glared at him, "Any reason I'm the only one with dyed hair?"

 _Wrong thing to say._ Kaito's grin suddenly turned shark-like, causing even Aoko to back away warily. "Remember folks, it was Hakuba who suggested this. I'm only fulfilling his heartfelt wish." And then he was up and smoke started coming out everywhere, completely filling the room with pink smoke. There was a mad scramble as everyone bumped into each other and lost their balance, until the smoke finally cleared and the class was left looking like the elderly, complete with white hair and house dresses. Cries of disbelief echoed throughout the room.

In the resulting chaos, only three people noticed Kaito's disappearance. Two left to chase after him, both with entirely different reasons, while the third just watched all this neutrally, oddly the only one not affected by the teen magician's latest prank.

**

.

~oOo~

.

**

The moment she was far enough away did Kagami's grinning mask suddenly falter and fall away, leaving a dark shadow on her face. She frowned angrily at the thought that she actually brooded in class like a depressed little girl and was caught off guard by Aoko, of all people. She has always been aware of her surroundings ever since suspicious British bastard and sensitive Red Witch became her classmates (there's no telling what she might say or what might happen if ever she was talked to while off guard), though now Hakuba's probably even _more_ suspicious, so there goes her efforts. The annoying thing is, she never brooded in front of people because the last time that happened was because of _that night,_ and only _Aoko_ has ever seen her like that.

God, she's probably worrying herself sick right now...

Kagami ran a hand through her short spiky hair, suddenly feeling incredibly guilty. She has known Aoko for a long time, first meeting her several months after _that night._ Kagami had been a pretty moody and depressed kid then, absolutely nothing like who she is now. Who wouldn't if someone they're so close to they're practically joined at the hip suddenly died and left them all alone?

And then that faithful meeting at the clock tower happened.

She can still remember that day clearly. Aoko had been waiting for her father there because of a promised trip. Kagami can still remember her sad face then when she realized that her father is incredibly late, and _that_ was the moment Kagami realized that she never wanted to see that kind of expression on that girl's face again.

And so she did a magic trick for the first time in months since _that night_ and, for the first time ever, introduced herself as 'Kuroba Kaito'.

And since that day, they've been practically inseparable. Aoko had been like the sister she never had, and Kagami wished Kaito could've met this kind and amazing girl. Wouldn't that have been wonderful?

Kagami absolutely regrets lying to Aoko every day. Responding to the name 'Kaito' is like a stab in the heart, and even if Kagami wanted to confess everything to her, she just _can't._ The lies have piled up too much there's really no going back. And then Kaitou KID was added to the mix, which made confessing practically _impossible._ But she tries to make up for it by always bringing a smile to her best friend's face, whether through magic tricks or their usual mad chases. A small thing, but if she didn't do it, what then?

To see her worrying for a lying, double-faced, scumbag like her _hurt,_ because Kagami knew she didn't deserve it after everything she had done. But she thinks she has a good reason to brood earlier, but she can't exactly tell Aoko about _that._

And worse, it feels like she had forgotten something. Something _very_ important. Something that she knew if she missed she'll regret _badly._

Not the prophecy, that's still too fresh in her mind not to forget. No, this feels like something else, though the prophecy is still the main reason. Speaking of that, Kagami can't believe that she _still_ can't figure it out. Which is unbelievable, because she has _obviously_ become quite an expert in regards to the riddle department. But Akako said this prophecy is horrendously _easy,_ so if she can do it, then Kagami can bloody well decipher it too!

_

.

The purple rain will weep and whimper,

the green wind shall scream and groan;

the red moon might get lost,

when the blue sun disappears to roam.

The white rose will fall through darkness,

when the Lady abandons thee.

Twilight is coming, be prepared,

The crows shall rejoice in victory.

.

_

The only thing that she managed to piece together are the last four lines. The _'white rose'_ is obviously herself. Akako even said so earlier. And even without that hint, it's still obvious. _White_ has something to do with KID for obvious reasons only a blind man can't understand, while _rose_ probably has something to do with her being 'Kaito' because, if she thought about this literally, 'Kaito' has always given more roses to other people as her civilian identity than her KID counterpart, so 'white rose' could _only_ mean her. Though the _'falling through darkness'_ part worries her a little.

 _'The Lady abandons thee'_ is a bit tricky. Unless Akako's talking literally or figuratively, 'Lady' could mean _anything._ If it's a real person, then Kagami has many ladies in her life, including herself. There's Aoko, her mother, Akako, her female classmates and KID fans, and a whole lot more. Can the prophecy mean one of them will soon abandon her?

But if, and _only_ if, they're talking figuratively, then Kagami has one more important lady in her life, whom she almost bets is the real one indicated in the prophecy:

Lady Luck.

Kagami was sorely tempted to put her fingers on her chin in a standard 'tantei thinking' pose like what detectives does but resisted the urge. _'The white rose will fall through darkness, when the Lady abandons thee.'_ So if the Lady _is_ Lady Luck, whom she believes has always provided her with luck her whole life, then those sentences would basically mean that Kagami will be in for a HUGE amount of crap the moment Lady Luck finally abandons her to the wolves. Or in this case, the crows.

And then the second to the last line: _'Twilight is coming, be prepared.'_ She doesn't know whether or not to think of the 'twilight' line as literal or figurative. On one hand, it could mean _'be prepared the moment the sun goes below the horizon'_ or it could even be _'be prepared when everything goes downhill'_ as 'twilight' can also mean a period of decline.

She tried not to think about that damning last line. It's not going to happen yet. After all, it will only happen the moment Kagami's luck abandons her and she loses. At least, she assumes _that's_ what it means.

As she said, she's confused and frightened as heck and would absolutely love nothing more than to kick Akako and the damn prophecy straight back to Lucifer for predicting the future for her _again._ (She's still a bit sore after the Pink Sapphire Heist. She wants to make her own paths to the future, thank you very much.)

Rapid footsteps suddenly alerted Kagami to the fact that someone is coming towards her direction. She tensed as she prepared herself to run and disappear (she's absolutely _not_ in the mood to socialize) when-

"KAIT _OOOO!"_

Kagami instantly flinched at the unexpected but familiar call, her masks automatically slamming down in place to form a perfect picture of mild annoyance. She then stopped, allowing the still dyed white and wearing elderly clothes Aoko to catch up with her. At the same time, she started to become aware of where exactly her feet led her that Aoko found her so easily...

Of _cooourse._

The rooftop. Why is it always the rooftop?!

"Kaito, wait!"

"What _now_ Ahoko?" She said, adding a bit of exasperation in her tone. In truth, she wasn't _really_ angry, this is just a way to get Aoko to leave her to her thoughts. Though she _could_ just escape anytime...

"Don't even _think_ about running off again." Aoko's eyes blazed with fire and Kagami immediately gulped nervously.

 _Yeaahh..._ maybe she'll hear her out first.

"Okay, I'm not leaving. So what's wrong?"

To her surprise, Aoko suddenly backed down, her gaze turning from angry to concerned and hesitant. "Kaito... I just want to know if something... if something _happened_ to you.."

Kagami slowly raised an eyebrow, wondering where this came from. "Happened... like what?"

"Like... like.. _oh I don't know!"_ Aoko suddenly looked aggravated and uneasy. Whatever this is, it sounds like it's been eating at her since earlier. "It's just... you look.. your face looked _scary_ a while ago."

 _I... what!?_ _"My_ face looks scary? You wound me Aoko!" She clutched at her heart exaggeratedly. "If anything, it's your _angry_ face who looks scary!" She then grinned playfully, "Shall we conduct a survey? I'm pretty sure everyone will agree with me."

Aoko's eyelid twitched in annoyance but she remained still. Kagami instantly became confused, her best friend is usually raging at her with her mop the very moment she annoys her, so what's happening? "I'm trying to be sensitive here, baka! The least you could do is stop joking for a moment!"

 _Wait, this is serious._ "What's going on Aoko?" Kagami said warily, this is clearly not the time for jokes. "Did something happen?"

To her surprise, Aoko stared at her like she suddenly revealed that she is the Kaitou KID all along and that she's a girl all in one go. "Kaito... are you _sure_ you're alright?" She asked, her tone full of concern now.

"Of course I am. It's _you_ I'm worried about." Kagami also gazed at her with worry, all the while trying to remember what she missed. Maybe this is related to what she was trying to remember earlier; the important thing she can't seem to remember, and now even _Aoko_ looks like she knows something she doesn't.

Aoko is still staring at him incredulously, "Kaito..." she said carefully, "It's _tomorrow."_

And just like that, her whole world and poker face shattered.

She barely managed to catch herself when she stumbled a bit, though Aoko was clearly prepared for this and was on her side in an instant. She gazed at her worriedly, "Kaito... don't tell me you _forgot?"_

"I-I.." Kagami was in shock. How could she have _forgotten?!_ She _never_ forgot it, not even _once. How could she!?_

And then she realized; The goddamn prophecy _really_ screwed with her head more than she thought.

"I..." _Poker face, poker face!_ "I-I guess I'm just a bit distracted today..." They both knew it was a very weak excuse, but Kagami couldn't really care less when _she just forgot that tomorrow is her twin brother's death anniversary._

She feels like utter crap from the lowest part of the earth.

But it seems like Aoko _still_ couldn't let go of her suspicions. "If you forgot it was tomorrow, then why are you so broody earlier?"

 _Poker face, poker face!_ Finally, she felt her masks slide in place again, forming a picture of genuine shock and depression. "I-I... okay, I think I've just been too affected by last night's KID heist." She stated carefully, "The moment I heard that there was a gunman, and that Nakamori-keibu was almost shot, and that KID _was_ shot... I guess I've just been too overwhelmed." She suddenly formed a determined expression, entirely _without_ the help of her poker face. "I've made a mistake. My sister," _My brother,_ "is more important than KID ever will be, and I'm _disgusted_ that I forgot about tomorrow!"

Aoko didn't seem too convinced, but she thankfully let it go. "It's okay Kaito... you didn't forget it completely. Do you want me to come with you tomorrow or would you like to do it alone?"

Kagami glanced at her best friend, seeing the determined but understanding expression on her face. They both knew Aoko will understand whichever decision Kagami makes.

"I... I'm sorry Aoko..." The words aren't out of her mouth yet, but Aoko immediately smiled and nodded in understanding, "...but I think I should do it again alone."

"It's alright. I know how much she means to you. I'll come when you're done to pay my respects." To her surprise, Aoko suddenly hugged her, obviously intending to comfort. While Kagami more than appreciates the thought, (and has to admit that being comforted by someone and knowing that you're not going through this alone feels so _good)_ she's still wary of what Aoko might feel while hugging her. Ever since Kagami had gone through puberty and she started to develop a more _girlish_ figure, she began wearing foam underneath her clothes. _Especially_ in case of incidents like this. After all, she can't very well let Aoko feel her chest when she's all dressed up as a man. That'll be _so_ awkward.

She hugged Aoko briefly before letting go, making sure to still hold her by the shoulders so it doesn't feel like rejection. _"Thank you Aoko."_ She said sincerely, unable to convey her emotions in just one word, but unwilling to say more in case she teared up. As it is, she can already feel her eyes _burn._

Thankfully Aoko, as brilliant and kind as she is, more than understood. She nodded tearily before stepping away. She then glanced at her hesitantly, "D-Do you want me to stay here or do you want to be alone?"

Kagami let a genuine smile crack through her poker face at that, and she felt her chest burst with overwhelming fondness for this sweet and caring girl she _just doesn't deserve._

"Please... stay."

Both didn't notice a figure silently slipping away from behind the rooftop door, brilliant mind whirling from the unexpected information he just overheard.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please comment! Tell me what you think. Constructive criticism is welcome!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> KID suddenly sends out a heist notice so soon after the incident in his last, with the Task Force surprisingly having mixed feelings about it. Meanwhile, another detective will soon join the chase...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Note: Kasumigaseki is a real place in Tokyo, Japan. Though Yorokobi ofisu biru is an invented building. So is Diana's Blessing._

"Hey Kai-chan. How are you? Hope you're doing well, wherever you are. As you can see, I'm still alive and kicking. Heh, bet you didn't think I'll last this long without you. Well... turns out I did. Dunno whether I should be thankful for that or not."

Kagami leaned back and let her hands fiddle with a few playing cards, unable to stay still. The smell of incense surrounded her, making her feel a bit warm. She gazed at the name on the tombstone, feeling a bit hollowed inside...

**...**

**Kuroba Kagami**

_**June 21, 1978 - August 24, 1984** _

**...**

It's strange to see her own name carved on the stone, but after the years she's grown used to it. After all, it's one of the ways to ensure Kuroba Kagami's death in this world and Kuroba Kaito's survival.

_No one can know._

"I still can't help but imagine what would have happened if you're still here. You would've met Aoko and maybe even liked her! I can just imagine you two becoming a couple, then Aoko will officially be part of the family." She smiled amusedly at the thought, "And then there's Hakuba Saguru, a pretty annoying guy who's always accusing me of being Kaitou KID one way or another. You're both pretty stubborn, so you would've probably been the best of friends. And then there's Akako, who I'm not going into depth because she's just plain creepy." She sighed, "Pretty sure you know all this because you're watching me one way or another. I'm also more than sure Tou-san's with you up there laughing at everything I'm doing." Kagami chuckled humorlessly, "My life's been real interesting, now that I think about it. It's probably fun to watch, like a drama."

Her hands unconsciously picked the Ace of Clubs card from the pile on her palm she had been playing with. She stared at it blankly for a moment, before finally resting it on the headstone in front of her. A quick flick of her fingers and a fresh blue rose was added beside it.

"Aoko's going to visit after me, so be good and don't tease her or anything." She inwardly smiled at the thought and she stood up, patting her pants for any dirt, "I gotta go now, please watch over me Kai-chan. You too Tou-san." Her eyes glanced quickly at her surroundings and, finally deeming it safe, leaned in towards the stone and bowed her head, before finally whispering, _"I miss you... nii-chan."_

She straightened up and smiled one last time, before finally spinning on her heel to leave.

Ten minutes later, a figure stopped by **'Kuroba Kagami's** ' tombstone, examining the card and the blue rose with narrowed eyes, before bowing his head in respect and finally leaving as quickly as he had come.

**.**

**~oOo~**

**.**

The whole country is buzzing with excitement. Everyone is reading the newspapers and gossiping about it. News channels displayed it on the screens on every building. Though while everyone is whispering excitedly about it, the Kaitou KID Taskforce surprisingly found themselves having mixed feelings... Inspector Nakamori, more so.

The Inspector turned to his men, not feeling happy at all about the Thief's latest heist notice. Normally, he would be boasting about finally catching KID this time, but now he's having a bad feeling about this whole thing. He knows there has been gunmen in KID's heists sometimes, but this is the first time he has seen them in action. They shot a police officer too! If they are brave enough to do that, then they might be more dangerous than he first thought. And if they've been doing that since KID's return, then why hasn't KID said anything?

Of course, KID would probably say something along the lines of how ridiculous it is for 'a criminal to report another criminal', but damn it, this is KID! He's vastly different from other criminals out there last Nakamori checked. If it were KID who were telling them about possible gunmen in his heists, then Nakamori will sure as hell check it out.

"Sir... do you think there will be a shooting again?" An officer, probably a newbie, asked hesitantly. The rest of the officers in the room immediately tuned an ear in the impromptu conversation.

Nakamori's eyes narrowed as he tried to burn a hole through the heist notice on his desk. The newbie fidgeted nervously as he waited for an answer.

The Inspector finally leaned back and sighed, "I guess it depends on whether we lose the jewel or not."

Most frowned in confusion, though the ones nearest Nakamori in that last heist nodded their heads in understanding. " _We_ , sir?" Another officer clarified.

" _We_." Nakamori nodded seriously, "KID never loses the jewel. He steals it, then it's firmly on his person throughout the whole heist. Much as I hate to admit it, _we're_ the ones who always attempts to take it, sometimes dealing damage to the jewel or almost losing it as a result."

One officer's eyes widened, "So _that's_ why KID said that to you!"

Nakamori could still recall the scene clearly in his mind. "I almost knocked it out of KID's grip that night. It's a good thing that bastard's got sticky hands, or the gunman might've gotten too trigger-happy with me."

"But sir," One officer at the back of the room raised his hand, "Did Division 1 figure out who the gunman is?"

Nakamori almost rolled his eyes in exasperation, " _Obviously_ , if they found out we would've been informed!"

"Are you going to investigate as well, Keibu?" One of his senior officers, Akita Masahiro, asked.

Nakamori paused at that, his face turning grim. "Of course I would. I was the one the gunman originally planned to shoot. I won't rest easy until I find out who the hell that bastard is that he figured he could shoot a police officer and get away with it!"

A few nodded in agreement, though most are deep in thought. After all, who would dare shoot a police inspector when the Phantom Thief's right there beside him? Wasn't the Thief the obvious target?

Nakamori stood in front of his men, looking uncharacteristically serious and not at all like his usual boisterious self. "Because of recent developments, we're going to have to establish perimeters and secure the crowd to prevent any of them getting caught in the crossfire. We'll also send out patrols in nearby buildings to spot any gunmen or even snipers hiding. _No one_ should be hurt during KID's heists, and we have to make sure of that. Understood?"

_"Yes, sir!"_

Satisfied with their determined responses, Nakamori turned back to the heist notice on his desk and motioned for Akita Masahiro, Takahiko Kento, and Aki Satoshi to step forward. Those officers are the smartest and cleverest in their Division, and are the ones who always handles KID's riddles. Though while smart, there are still some parts they can't just get, resulting in the Taskforce lowering their pride to sometimes send for help to the other smart officers in different Divisions. But they seldom do that because it's plain humiliating and they'll be the talk of the Department for _weeks_. They only really needed to decipher the time, place, and target so they can prepare, the other parts are frequently just fillers.

The four of them all crowded around the notice, each mind whirring to figure out the contents:

**...**

**"** _**Rejoice!** _

_When the moon grows young,_

_In the gates between the clouds and the ground,_

_I will come to collect Diana's Blessing,_

_and conceal it from her sight._

_Though rest assured it will be safe,_

_From the ones that adore its light."_

_**\- Kaitou KID (`O_^)** _

**...**

"It's obvious that Diana's Blessing is the target." Nakamori stated after a while, "Aki, you're in charge of researching Diana's Blessing and where it is located. Now what else did you all find?"

"The first word at the top is an English word and is pronounced as **'Re-joi-s'** , meaning ' _to celebrate_ '." Takahiko, the resident expert in the English language, said. Nakamori absently recalled that time they all thought it was a useless skill when Takahiko was still a newbie. That is, until KID started talking to them in pure English on that one memorable heist, and they had to look to Takahiko as a translator. Since then, he became the go-to person when it comes to English phrases they don't understand, which is all the time because KID uses it often to annoy them. Takahiko frowned and shook his head, **"** I'm sorry, but I can't figure out why he included that. Is he simply telling us to celebrate his heist?"

Nakamori immediately shook his head. "In KID's heist notices, _every_  word has another meaning so continue guessing, because something as obvious as that cannot be it."

"He doesn't mean ' **Rejoice'** as in to celebrate his heist." A familiar voice suddenly said, and everyone turned their heads to see a certain detective enter the room. "He means it in a figurative sense."

"Hakuba-kun!" Nakamori raised an eyebrow in surprise, he didn't expect the teen to be here after leaving for England just a few weeks ago. Though he really shouldn't be surprised. When it comes to matters concerning KID, the British detective's always there. "What do you mean by 'figurative'?"

Hakuba smiled and walked confidently past the officers, stopping right in front of the four men around the desk. "Just know that KID doesn't always use words literally. There's always another meaning in them. In this case, a hint: ' **Rejoice'** is a place.

" **'Rejoice',** if you convert it to kanji: 喜, reads as 'yorokobi'. Now that looks like it doesn't mean anything, but if you take into consideration the words: ' _In the gates between the clouds and the ground',_ then the pieces will fit."

The officers frowned in thought as they tried to discover what he meant. Hakuba let them, as is their normal routine. He provides the clues, they piece together the answers.

"I got it!" Masahiro cried after several minutes, "If you convert 'gates' to kanji, it'll be 関 and reads as ' _seki_ '. Now if you will notice, clouds are just like mists. The kanji for 'mists' is 霞 and reads as ' _kasumi_ '. Now Hakuba-kun said it is a place, so 霞が関ビル or Kasumigaseki is a district here in Tokyo and will be KID's target location!" His triumphant expression suddenly became confused when the realization finally struck him. "Wait a minute, Kasumigaseki is _this_ district."

"Precisely." Hakuba nodded, pleased. "Now about the word **'Rejoice'** , how does that fit in with Kasumigaseki?"

"Yorokobi ofisu is a building here in Kasumigaseki." Aki said. "So does that mean we got KID's target location?"

Nakamori's eyes widened, "He plans to steal _here_ in Kasumigaseki, where all the government's major ministry offices, agencies, and security headquarters are located? IS HE CRAZY?!"

"So I've heard." Hakuba felt a vein twitch in his head in irritation. He knew Kuroba's a daredevil type, but isn't this a bit too much? Tokyo's main police headquarters, the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department, is located right here and he still wants to steal at the very heart of enemy territory? It's practically suicide! "KID's unpredictable, and also a daredevil at heart. He'll _love_ the challenge this will provide."

Nakamori rubbed his temples when he felt a headache coming on, as is usual with matters concerning KID, though now the bad feeling he felt earlier abruptly took a turn for the worse. "And the annoying thing is, you're right."

Hakuba is highly aware of everyone eavesdropping on their conversation and nodding their heads, everyone unanimously agreeing that the Thief is _completely_ crazy and suicidal.

**.**

**~oOo~**

**.**

" _ **Rejoice!**_ _When the moon grows young, in the gates between the clouds and the ground, I will come to collect Diana's Blessing, and conceal it from her sight. Though rest assured it will be safe, from the ones that adore its light." -_ _ **Kaitou KID (`O_^)**_ _"_

A certain child detective raised an eyebrow, brilliant mind deciphering and picking apart the riddle in record time. After several minutes, he smirked.

"Did you figure it out already, Meitantei-san?"

Cerulean eyes glanced towards a certain brown-haired girl reading on the couch, though her eyes are not on the magazine in her hands, but trained towards him in amusement.

"Of course I did." He turned his attention back to the heist notice posted on the newspaper and scowled, "That Thief's melodramatic as usual, why can't he just use the places' names for once?"

"Maybe because it won't be as fun for his favorite detective?" She smirked at the glare he shot towards her at that. "So? Enlighten me. What does that riddle mean?"

Haibara's smirk turned wider when the faux child's eyes glittered wickedly and, oddly enough, excitedly. " **'Rejoice'** and _'in the gates between the clouds and the ground'_ is the location. Translate the words to kanji and you get Kasumigaseki and Yorokobi. Kasumigaseki is the district near us, and Yorokobi is a skyscraper in that district." He suddenly frowned in confusion. "Though what I don't get is why he chose that place as the location. Kasumigaseki is where all the government's agencies and security headquarters are located, including TMPD. He'll be like a deer surrounded by a pack of wolves. He'll be _deep_ within enemy territory."

Haibara shrugged uncaringly, "He probably likes the challenge."

"No," Kudo Shinichi -now known as Edogawa Conan- placed his fingers underneath his chin, face darkening in thought. "While I don't doubt he enjoys that, I feel that it's not the reason this time."

" _Oh_?" Haibara's attention was piqued. "And what do you suppose his reason is, Meitantei-san?"

"I don't know yet," He suddenly smiled, "But I'm going to find out."

She rolled her eyes and yawned in boredom, "Something tells me the whole Mouri family and friends are going to be in that heist soon enough. _As usual."_

Conan rolled his eyes at the sarcasm but didn't comment. "So now we got KID's target location. Now the target jewel is obviously Diana's Blessing. Diana's a goddess in Roman mythology, and she symbolizes the moon. The ' _conceal it from her sight_ ' line basically means he'll hide it from the moon herself."

_"Basically."_

Conan scowled, "Shut up."

Haibara's smirk widened.

He tried his best to ignore it, "So now the first line: _'When the moon grows young'_ is just an expanded phrase of the term 'young moon'. Young moon, or waxing crescent moon, is the moon's phase after sunset and it appears on the west sky. The sunset in Japan is approximately 6:20 PM, so I would wager KID would appear between 6:30 to 7:00 PM tonight."

Haibara raised an eyebrow, "So now we got the location, time, and the target. Anything else?"

Conan's expression darkened. "The last two lines. It's not what I expected."

"What is?"

"Look," He handed the newspaper to Haibara, who stared at it. "' _Though rest assured it will be safe, from the ones that adore its light.'"_ She frowned thoughtfully, "'The ones that adore its light' will be who?"

He gazed at her seriously, "Tell me, who likes and collects shiny objects?"

"There are many answers to that," She shrugged, "There are criminals, other thieves, that Suzuki-ojiisan who's obsessed with KID..."

"But what if it's not a person?"

She paused and shot him a look of confusion. "Not a person? An animal then?" At his raised eyebrow, she continued, "Well, there's magpies. And seagulls. Cats too probably. And-" Her eyes widened and her head abruptly whipped around to see Conan staring at her grimly.

"... _Crows_." She whispered.

He nodded.

"You think he-"

"-knows about Them too? Maybe." He scowled, "And if we figured out its meaning, what's to say _They_ didn't figure it out too?"

The realization immediately struck her, and her expression changed to one of panic and fear. " _And you still plan to go?!"_

"I'll be fine, and I don't plan on taking any of you with me if that's why you're worried." He tried to reassure her, "I'll make up an excuse. Besides, the heist will occur in police territory. They'll be hard-pressed to step in there with so many police around."

"And yet _KID_ obviously can and will." She gritted her teeth, "Don't go Kudo-kun. Don't draw attention to yourself."

"I'll be fine." He repeated, "I'll sneak in and even wear a disguise if you want. I'm not stupid enough to broadcast myself in front of them after all. And besides," He frowned, "KID might know something about Them."

"And you think he's just going to reveal everything about himself the moment you ask nicely?" She laughed harshly, "Forget about it Kudo-kun. He won't do that."

"I still want to see his relation to Them." He glared at her, "What if he works with Them? Or maybe they're enemies, or maybe they're even tentative allies. We _have_ to know."

She stared at him almost amusedly, though the fear prevented her from expressing any more, "You're grasping at straws here, Kudo-kun. KID obviously doesn't work with or for Them. He'll be killing everyone in his heists if he were."

"Even so, I would like to find out straight from his own mouth." He glared determinedly at her. "I'm going."

She glared right back, "You're crazy."

"KID's crazier."

She barked out a laugh at that, "True."

"I'll still go."

Haibara paused and stared long and hard at Kudo's determined face. The stretched and tensed silence made him fidgety, but she knew he wouldn't back down whatever she did. He'll probably sneak out if she even dared forbid him.

After a few minutes, she finally sighed in defeat, "Alright. On two conditions." She held up a hand to stop Kudo's retort, "One: As long as you disguise yourself so hard even your own mother couldn't tell it's you..."

"Kind of impossible-"

"...And two: If you'll sneak in so silently even _KID_ wouldn't see you..."

"Again, impossible-"

"...Do each one of them or else I'll tranquilize you on this very couch _so hard_ you'll wake up to find out two weeks has already passed. Maybe then you'll finally understand what Kogoro-san feels whenever you put him to sleep _every single day_."

Conan paused abruptly at that before rolling his eyes, though he looked slightly nervous. "You're almost as melodramatic as KID."

Her eyes flashed.

He gulped and quickly backtracked, " _Okay okay_! I'll do it, _sheesh_!"

She smirked, "Good."

_"Tch! Evil-eyed yawny girl..."_

"What's that?"

He cursed again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Please oh PLEASE comment!!! :(_


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A certain child detective's disguising skills is about to be put to the test...

"You know what Kudo-kun? This is honestly _very_ disappointing."

"Shut up…" grumbled a _very_ disgruntled Conan, who just kept on fidgeting uncomfortably in his new clothes. Haibara raised an unamused eyebrow.

"And here I thought that you at least have some decent skills with this. After all, this _is_ your mother's specialty."

"Well, I'm not my mother, aren't I?" He countered darkly.

She acted as though she hadn't heard him, "... Though with your pitiable acting skills, maybe I _should_ have expected something like this to happen." She tapped her chin thoughtfully, though Conan could still see those eyes glinting with amusement.

_Great._

"Oi oi, my acting skills are just fine. I got this far, didn't I?" He rolled his eyes before shoving the makeup kit to her face to prevent another quip, probably about Ran figuring out his identity too many times to count. _(he's trying hard not to think about_ that _fact)_ "Just help me get this done, I have to get there before the police arrives, otherwise I'll _never_ get in."

She immediately glared at him, "I have half a mind not to let you go right now. You didn't fulfill my first condition, I can _still_ recognize you."

"You wouldn't if you actually start to _use_ the makeup."

Haibara just started to open the makeup kit, her stern eyes still scrutinizing his face. She scoffed at that remark, "I highly doubt that. You just look like a female version of yourself. Only a complete _idiot_ would fall for this."

Conan almost threw his hands up the air in frustration. He knows his disguising skills are mediocre at best, but did she _really_ have to rub it in? "Well I don't have much of a choice, do I? This is the only wig my mom left in the house, so unless you have a disguise expert with tons of costumes hiding inside that restricted basement of yours, this is all we got." He resisted the urge to say all this _very_ sarcastically, especially with her looking like she's _seriously_ contemplating on poisoning the next batch of the antidote of APTX-4869.

Wait, _is_ she?

Her eyes immediately narrowed to slits at his words, making him tense, before she bit out coldly, " _Sit_."

He immediately collapsed on the chair in fright. _(though he would later deny that)_

What followed was something akin to torture. Haibara was absolutely _vicious_ with the makeup; basically attacking his face with face powder, blush, and god knows what else, rubbing it all in that it left his face feeling so thick and stuffy and sore. Then, with her icy glare still intact, she thrust the mirror to his face and crossed her arms, "There. Feeling better with your _disguise_?" She said almost mockingly.

Glaring at her, he snatched the mirror from her hands before peeking almost hesitantly at it. He dreaded to see what exactly Haibara did to his face. For all he knew, she made him out to look like a clown or something equally horrifying. However, what he saw instead made him pause and raise an impressed eyebrow.

While it felt horribly like Haibara had declared war to it, the makeup actually looked pretty light and decent. His cheekbones are more emphasized, his cerulean eyes were replaced with brown colored contacts and was made to look much bigger and brighter with the help of some eyeliner, his skin color was lightened to an almost pale color with a slight hint of blush for rosy cheeks, the frown lines on his young face erased… there was even a very slight hint of lip balm that made his lips look pink. All in all, he actually looked like a _girl_.

"Wow. You _are_ good at this." He whispered in awe, face turning sideways to examine everything more carefully.

Her glare intensified. "Dishing out compliments won't get you anywhere."

He rolled his eyes, the action made much clearer now with the eyeliner. "That was _genuine_." He insisted, then smiled sincerely. "Thanks Haibara."

At the sight of that, she shook her head slightly, inwardly thinking that Kudo actually looked _adorable_ when dressed as a girl, though she'll never say it out loud. "Just don't get yourself killed and we're good." She deadpanned.

"Don't worry. If ever They _are_ there, chances are They wouldn't notice me at all." He stood up and inspected himself for anything they missed. "After all, They will be too focused on KID to bother with an innocent little girl." He smirked deviously.

"Don't be so sure." She warned, "They see _everything_."

"Then I have my work cut out for me." He then proceeded to clip on a mini microphone to his collar and straightened it to hide it. A new invention of the Professor's, the microphone is a smaller version of the voice-changing bow tie. Not intended for long use and a bit fragile, the mini mic is also programmed with only one voice: A little girl's voice. Just in case though, he packed the bow tie and glasses in his pockets and fastened on the stun gun wristwatch, power-enhancing shoes, and the ball dispensing belt as well. No way was he going anywhere without those, even though he probably shouldn't use any of them while undercover. Hopefully, KID wouldn't recognize the shoes…

Haibara stared at his shoes, before looking at him like he was stupid. "He will _totally_ recognize that."

He shut his eyes tight, vaguely feeling a killer headache forming somewhere in there. He _swears_ that woman is psychic. "I _know_ , but how am I supposed to kick the damn soccer balls if I don't have my shoes?"

Haibara frowned deeply, but it was clear she doesn't have any ideas as well. She gazed at him with a slight hint of nervousness and voiced what they have both been thinking, "Your watch is your only defense in case anything happens."

He sighed before starting to remove the shoes and belt. "I guess my only consolation is that KID would _never_ hurt me. Maybe severely embarrass, but never hurt. But it's another story entirely if They appeared."

Haibara suddenly looked afraid now. "I think I'm starting to have second thoughts on letting you go now."

"Well, I guess I better leave before you change your mind entirely then, shouldn't I?" He grinned before turning towards the direction of the door, fully intending to do just that. But before he could, Haibara pulled on his arm and roughly turned him around again. She then flicked a fake strand of hair out of his face before she examined his disguise intently for the second time that night; though this time, they both knew that there is no more joking around.

Her eyes roved over every inch of his disguise like an x-ray, fixing a few things here and there to make sure she didn't miss anything. After several minutes of this, her stance finally relaxed and she stepped away from his face. She nodded, satisfied. "Passable, but I still suggest that you don't push your luck. Lay low and be careful."

" _I know."_ His voice came out as a cute little girl's, and he smirked.

**...**

**~oOo~**

**...**

Hours later, inside the Yorokobi building, past the hundreds of police officers and inspectors in the entrance and the hallways, past the hidden cameras, up in the highest floor of the building inside a secured room with hundreds more police officers, a quiet Hakuba, and a bellowing Inspector Nakamori, one disguised thief is quietly watching the proceedings.

Outside of the building though, her assistant is watching something else entirely. Eyes widening, he instantly contacted his partner.

_-"They are here, ojou-sama."-_

Unseen by anyone else, Kaitou KID grinned maliciously. "Good."

 _-"Please consider cancelling, ojou-sama! It's too dangerous, even for you. There are already too many police officers due to the close proximity of the TMPD Headquarters to this building. Add to that,_ They _are here too!"-_

She almost laughed at that, "You want me to cancel when I'm already here? Bad call, Jii-chan. You should've told me that before coming here, then I would've considered it."

_-"I did! A hundred times!"-_

"Oh. Guess I didn't hear you then."

She could almost hear him groan in defeat. Her smile softened, "Don't worry about me Jii-chan, I think I got this. But just in case I fail, it's up to you to get me out of here."

 _-"As I always do."-_ Now there is _definitely_ sarcasm in his voice. She didn't know he had it in him.

"Just keep tabs on Them. I'll handle things in here." She told him, before cutting the communication off between them for now. She needed to concentrate for this part. Her eyes roved around the room for the hundredth time that night.

As always, Nakamori-keibu will be easy to deceive. She felt bad, but it will be for the greater good. He'll understand soon. Hakuba will be a problem, but she's confident she can outsmart him. The legions of police officers and inspectors will be a bit difficult; the only thing she can do is to avoid getting cornered by them in all possible angles. Though if all else fails, she could always knock them out with sleeping gas. However, it will be very, _very_ bad if they started calling for reinforcements from the nearby TMPD Headquarters. She just hopes the 3 minutes it will take for those reinforcements to arrive will be enough for her to escape the place entirely.

And if all goes according to plan, this will just be one quick heist that will let Them know she's onto them. Unfortunately, nothing _ever_ goes according to plan. Sooner or later, something will come up that will force her to improvise. While she can totally handle and keep her cool in those kinds of situations, she would really prefer not to let one happen _now_ of all nights.

Unbeknownst to her, there is a certain disguised child detective just waiting for the right time in the right place to grill her like she has never been grilled before.

Checking her watch, _(not unusual since practically_ everyone _is doing it too_ ) Kagami then straightened up, easily slipping into the persona of the Kaitou KID as she had done many times before. With it came the change of atmosphere in the room as the time began nearing closer to her appointed schedule, with Nakamori-keibu and Hakuba visibly tensing, their eyes diligently scouring the room for any kind of oddity. Anticipation suddenly sky-rocketed, with every police officer alert and wary, a few even glancing at the glass windows as if expecting another bullet to come shooting through them. Meanwhile, Diana's Blessing is still in its pedestal, glimmering ignorantly.

She grinned.

" _It's showtime."_

**...**


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is the heist night! I'm so sorry it took so long. I hope you guys find it worth the wait.
> 
>  
> 
> **Disclaimer: I do not own the name Enola from the Enola Holmes Mysteries**

**...**

The lights promptly went out, startling even the ones who are watching out for any warning signs. Nakamori-keibu immediately shook off his surprise before barking orders to his radio to turn on the lights. Everyone is standing on alert, a few closing their eyes for a bit to allow it to adjust to the sudden darkness faster. Those are obviously the newest officers in the Taskforce, KID amusedly noted, since it's almost basic knowledge that _no one_ closes their eyes during a KID heist or they might miss the fun.

Meanwhile, KID noticed that Hakuba had suddenly teleported the moment the lights went out from his position near Nakamori-keibu and to the display case the next. Not that it's going to help one bit, since she always gets the jewel in the end.

Pressing a button in her pocket, KID watched as the lights show began.

**...**

**~oOo~**

**...**

Hakuba staggered back in surprise as the lights turned back on and began flashing sporadically, disorienting him. He could just make out some of the Taskforce stumbling and covering their eyes, with Nakamori-keibu bellowing some orders in the distance for his men in the basement to "stop flickering the goddamn lights." Unsurprisingly, he also made out the KID's white uniform that suddenly seems so bright standing right in front of him, taunting him with his signature smirk. Something is off about him though, and another quick flicker of the lights revealed that he is wearing sunglasses instead of his monocle.

"KID…" Hakuba growled. He could barely watch as the thief's smirk widened before quickly shutting his eyes, the strain of keeping them open amidst the harsh flashing lights too much for him to handle.

"I hope you enjoyed the miniature lights show Tantei-san." His relaxed and confident voice seemed everywhere at once, but he couldn't risk taking a look without becoming extremely dizzy. The constant burning behind his eyelids is an evidence of the possible risk.

The sound of breaking glass almost caused him to open them though, but decided against it on the last minute; he's not going to be much help if he's just going to stumble around dizzily. He _can_ hear the Inspector crying out in surprise from the other side of the room. He obviously tried to open his eyes but got the full blare of the flashing lights instead. He didn't know how KID got the lights to get so bright and flashy like they did, but it was really starting to annoy him right now.

It did make him suspicious though. KID doesn't usually breaks the glass cases to get the jewel, always choosing to do so in the flashiest way possible, so what was that?

"And with that done, I will be taking my leave." Hakuba quickly tried pinpointing the voice's location and swiped violently at its general direction, but his hands only touched thin air. He cursed violently before hurriedly telling the Inspector that the KID has disappeared, resulting in a lot more cursing.

The lights are still flashing harshly, and his vision isn't getting any better. But the KID is on the loose, and it's his sole job to catch him. And so, with his hands held out in front of him, Hakuba began relying on his near-eidetic memory to try getting out of the room. Unfortunately, his memory of the place didn't include the many police officers randomly stumbling around, causing him to bump on what he suspected is nearly everyone inside the room.

Recalling the room's layout, he quickly remembered that there are no vents anywhere and only one exit, so if he could just get there, then he can chase after the KID. However, the exit branches out to a lot of corridors, which makes chasing him very difficult, but not impossible if he can contact the people inside the security control rooms to provide him information on where the KID went. And to do that, he needs the Inspector.

"Keibu!" He called out while continuing towards the general direction of the exit. Trying to find the Inspector will lose precious time. Besides, he has a feeling that the Inspector is already doing the same. "The security cameras!"

To his slight surprise, the Inspector quickly managed to reach his side, already in the middle of radioing the security control room for details. It's a bit hard to imagine because of his constant failure in capturing Kaitou KID, but the Inspector is really a competent officer despite that. "KID went left and is headed for the roof!" He bellowed. His men quickly scrambled to obey, but Hakuba is already ahead of them all. Fortunately, the flashing lights didn't affect the whole building, so everyone can finally open their blurry eyes and run properly. He quickly rounded the corridor to the left, with the Inspector hot on his heels while listening to the radio.

Upon continuing down the corridor to the left, however, Hakuba quickly felt something was wrong. He was proven right later on when another turn led him to the only door in the hallway. He hesitated, but before he could do anything, Nakamori-keibu and the Taskforce already passed by him to head towards the door.

Hakuba quickly saw what was wrong and only had time to shout out a warning before everything dissolved into chaos.

Bright light suddenly beamed from a searchlight behind the doorway and the Taskforce quickly scrambled back, some falling on their backs with hands covering their eyes in sheer pain. Nakamori-keibu himself received the full brunt of the light and staggered back and banged his back in the window behind him, though he managed to shut his eyes because of Hakuba's warning. It wasn't enough to blind them, thankfully, but it may leave them with teary eyes and terrible bright spots in their vision for a few minutes. Hakuba himself barely managed to avert his eyes, and found out that he was the one of the few to have done so. With the Inspector temporarily immobilized, Hakuba quickly found himself commanding the few unaffected officers to head towards the rooftop. They're reluctant to obey – understandable since he's only a teenager – but before they could make up their minds, the sound of glass breaking suddenly made everyone freeze and fall silent, those that were able to see turning to stare at the bullet-sized hole in the window right next to the Inspector and the shattered glass of the now-dark searchlight directly in front of it.

**...**

**~oOo~**

**...**

KID was furious.

She was watching from inside the room behind the searchlight when it happened. Of course she knew this was a possibility, even _Jii-chan_ warned her about this when she said her plan, but she didn't really expect Them to actually start shooting and alerting their presence to the police. She also did not expect the Inspector to actually be _inches_ away from the shot when it happened, which also contributed to her fury. Only Jii-chan had made her sit still and not rush out there to try protecting everyone from any more stray bullets.

Judging by the positioning of the bullet in the glass, it was obviously a wild shot. It seems her plan worked after all, but the end result hit too close to home for comfort. If the Inspector became hurt in one of her heists, then Aoko will definitely _never_ forgive her... never mind the fact that she won't ever be able to forgive herself either for potentially putting her almost-adoptive father and beloved Inspector to harm.

Thank god, it seems that Lady Luck is on her side tonight.

To her immense relief, it seems the Inspector was alright. The stray bullet didn't hit anyone, only the searchlight. But the threat of more gunfire prompted the Taskforce to immediately scramble up and move out of view of the window. Nakamori-keibu, while still extremely shaken, also went on the move; radioing the back-up in TMPD to come and already reporting the incident at length. Good, that means the back-up will most likely chase Them away from here. However, it will make escaping hard unless she can get out of the building now.

With that thought in mind, she turned and began crawling through the vents away from that room. But not before telling Jii to keep an eye on the Taskforce for her.

**...**

**~oOo~**

**...**

Meanwhile, a certain little girl was silently watching the proceedings from her hiding spot, eyebrows furrowed in concentration. Her hands are gripping a small device displaying copies of the security footages – courtesy of the Professor – and so she witnessed everything that happened inside the building. She was studiously ignoring the still flashing lights in the main room where the jewel was originally located and was currently staring at the camera where the gunshot happened – which she knew definitely came from a sniper rifle from experience – and is just now realizing that maybe KID is in deeper trouble than she originally thought.

**...**

**~oOo~**

**...**

"Why the hell are the gunmen still here?! I thought our men already scoped out the surrounding buildings?!" Nakamori is positively raging right now; pacing around and yelling at everyone in the vicinity. An impressive feat since he was still partially blind from the searchlight. All the same, it made even Hakuba feel wary. He suddenly became very aware of the similarities between the Inspector and his daughter; through their massive tempers.

"We're checking on them now, sir." One of the men informed him. It did nothing to quell his anger.

"But sir," Another officer asked. "What about the KID?"

There's a moment of stunned silence as everyone suddenly remembered the extremely flashy and annoying thief they're supposed to be chasing. Hakuba nearly slapped a hand on his forehead but restrained himself.

"He's most likely in the roof by now, if not long gone." Hakuba said in resignation.

The Inspector, however, was obviously skeptical. "No. Criminal or not, he won't leave us here to be shot at. He's most likely still here. I won't even be surprised if he's still here watching us right now…"

Again, Hakuba was made aware of the similarities between Aoko and her father. He suddenly remembered their conversation in school two days ago, and was struck at their tentative trust in a thief.

"…the wind is strong tonight; perfect for gliders, but I don't think he'll risk it since he'll be a sitting duck against bullets up there." Nakamori turned and carefully maneuvered his body so he isn't in view of the window before starting on Hakuba's side of the room where the elevators are. "Let's check the rooftop, maybe he's still there."

Hakuba couldn't agree more on his logic.

**...**

**~oOo~**

**...**

There were no sounds of footsteps at all, but Conan still knew he's there based on the prickling feeling he gets when someone watches him. He silently observes as the thief opened the door to the roof and closes it behind him silently, not looking like he's in a rush, which Conan knew he would certainly feel if someone is targeting him with sniper rifles.

On the other hand, KID's inner alarms went on full alert as she senses that someone is already on the roof. It can't be the Taskforce, they're still occupied in the corridors downstairs. It can't be Hakuba either for the same reasons.

So that just leaves the Organization.

Quickly presenting an aura of calm and confidence, KID carefully made her way behind a huge water tank and some crossbeams to get out of sight from the sniper – who's probably temporarily blinded because of the searchlight by now anyways – and in full sight of her watcher.

 _A little girl,_ Kagami stared with wide eyes, _A very_ familiar _girl._

Because right there, right in front of her, was a nearly perfect copy of Kuroba Kagami herself when she was 7 years old.

Resisting the urge to freeze up, she tried masking her stiffness by putting her hands in her pockets. Good god, she looked _just like_ Kaito when he was that age too, if Kaito was actually a girl. The striking resemblance was making her heart do horrible jumps and cartwheels.

It doesn't seem like the girl noticed her reaction though, but she suddenly felt cautious. Just what is a little girl, who is almost an exact replica of herself except for the choice of clothes and a few details here and there, doing here this late at night? Is this another trap of the Organization? If so, how did they find out who she really is?

Maybe it's extremely far-fetched, but whoever this girl is, she can never deny any of her audience the chance to see the KID in action. No matter how much they resemble dead twins and brothers. And so with that in mind, she smoothly tipped her silk hat down before putting on the charming KID persona in full force, "A very pleasant evening to you, ojou-san."

**...**

_"A very pleasant evening to you, ojou-san."_

Conan isn't surprised upon realizing that KID immediately knew where he is (he can't deny that the bastard has a tendency to just _know_ things) but he is _very_ surprised at what he called him.

Did their disguise plan actually worked against all odds?

"K-Kaitou KID..." He allowed the small stutter at the beginning to hint at awe, and he was pleased to find out that his mini voice changer mic worked perfectly.

"At your service." The thief made a humble bow, though his slightly mischievous grin still stayed in place. "May I ask your name, ojou-san?"

"..." Conan suddenly felt like he was being interrogated, even though he was supposed to be the one doing the interrogating. He suddenly had a flashback to the first time he has to make up a name for himself. He has to admit that anything is better and less obvious than the name 'Edogawa Conan' but at least the name stuck. He _could_ give his real name and hope KID wouldn't laugh himself to death at his appearance, but he just wanted to see if he could really fool a Master of Disguise.

"My name is... Enola."

A beat of silence suddenly descended on the rooftop, and Conan immediately wanted to beat himself up at the name choice right then and there. _Great, after several long months of thinking, he finally found a name_ more _horrible than '_ _Conan'._ Despite his better judgement, he _still_ picked a name of a detective, but it wasn't his fault that the first one to jump out at him was the name of Holmes' alleged younger sister Enola. KID was still silent, but Conan was sure he was amused despite himself.

" _Enola-chan_." KID carefully tested the name before tilting his head in a slightly inquisitive manner, _"_ And may I ask what a cute little girl like you is doing here so late at night, Enola-chan?"

Slightly miffed at the 'cute little girl' comment, Conan did his best to ignore it before trying to put his – admittedly mediocre – acting skills to the test. He tried pouting and blushing, but felt that the blush is practically non-existent. "I just wanted to see you... I watched the news and saw the notice. I'm a big fan, you know? You're just so _cool_ ~"

It's hard to get a read on the thief in this distance, but it seems that he's considering his response. Hopefully, the snipers will only see her as a lost little girl or something similar. It will be hard to tell with KID though.

"I see," The thief replied airily, and he immediately realized that KID doesn't believe him one bit. "And you must be _really_ skilled to evade the police cordons around the area, aren't you Enola-chan?" He was repeatedly using the horrible name as a means to taunt him, it seems.

Well, it was working.

"I arrived here before the police did." 'Enola' said in a slightly clipped tone.

"Then you must be waiting here since early afternoon." KID's tone is still amused and confident, and it was grating on his nerves a bit. "Your parents must be very worried about you. If you want, I can see you home. Provided you wait for me to finish my heist and you tell me your family name."

Crap, he's _definitely_ trying to catch him in the act. Conan can just see the annoying thief from behind his 'concerned' poker face smirking at him knowingly. _Your move, Tantei-kun._

"Alright, you got me." Conan barely prevented himself from grumbling in irritation, though his voice still came out as a little girl's. Despite that, KID just laughed and confirmed what he already knew. "Oh my dear Tantei-kun, I already knew before you even spoke."

And the annoying thing is, he didn't even doubt it.

"So what brought you here in that _delightful_ costume of yours, 'Enola-chan'?" He was still grinning like crazy, and Conan has never felt such a strong urge to kick a soccer ball before now. "Did you finally realize your true feelings for me and decided to change to make it easier for the both of us?"

"I... with you– _what_?" Conan sputtered and looked positively scandalized. "I mean, _no_! What the hell, KID?!"

His only answer was the thief's amused laughter. Despite the fact that Conan was hyper-aware that a sniper must be targeting them by now, he can't help but feel a little bit relaxed when the thief started laughing openly. That must mean that he knows about the snipers and has some sort of a plan, right? He has to have one if he's able to be _that_ confident. Or maybe he's just placing too much trust on him and KID just really didn't know (which is a very strange thought.)

"Stop it! I'm not here for– for _that_!" Conan's cheeks felt a bit warm at the thought but he quickly shook it off. _Damn thief._ "You _do_ know about the snipers and the police back-up, right?"

KID raised an eyebrow, looking mildly affronted. "You _do_ know who you are talking to, right?" He shot back, using the exact same tone and voice as him. Conan mildly felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise up. No matter how many times it occurs, hearing his own voice from the mouth of another is plain disconcerting and weird.

"Just making sure..." Conan mumbled. So KID _did_ know about the snipers. So his lack of concern must mean that he has a plan, and if he has a plan, then Conan must be in the way of him executing it. But he didn't endure the makeup torture of Haibara just to up and leave without finding out anything, he'll get his answers whether KID wants it or not. "I'm actually here to talk."

"We _are_ talking."

"You know it's not like that." He shot back. It seems like the thief is determined to keep diverting the conversation away. Well, he isn't going to let him.

"Then what _are_ we doing?" KID looked genuinely curious.

" _KID_." He finally growled in irritation and turned to glare at him. KID doesn't look affected though. " _Why_ are there snipers after you?"

He didn't miss a beat. "Who knows. Maybe this jewel is much more important than I thought?" He shrugged nonchalantly.

Conan snorted. "Cut the bullcrap, KID. You and I both know that isn't true. If it was then the previous jewel must have been pretty damn important for Them to actually take a shot at you."

"Okay, for the record, it was Nakamori-keibu they took a shot at, not me. I just happened to be in the way." KID grinned, "And the second time was a searchlight. So you see, they're not exactly targeting _me_."

Conan rolled his eyes at the thief's attempt at being oblivious. They both know KID is more than aware of his own enemies. Maybe he even has more information than Conan had. Though maybe he's just acting like this because he didn't want Conan to get involved.

Well, too late for that one.

"They shot the searchlight because you intended to blind the _snipers_ with it, not the police. That was why it wasn't so bright. The police can recover quickly enough because of that while the sniper will have a harder time because he/she was looking through the scope at the time and got the full blow. The shot was more of an angry one, judging by how inaccurate it is." Conan rested his hands inside his pockets, carefully laying out everything he had observed in front of the now unreadable phantom thief. "That's also why you did those flashing lights in the main room as well. The lights would have severely disoriented and confused the snipers looking through their scopes, especially if it was so sudden." Thinking further back, he quickly realized something else. "Your notice... ' _I will come to collect Diana's Blessing, and conceal it from her sight.'_ At first, I thought it was about hiding something from the moon itself, since the 'her' could only mean Diana and she is the goddess of the moon. But that's not what you really meant, is it?" He glanced at the thief's direction, who is now holding the jewel up in the moonlight. A silent confirmation of his deduction. "You meant it metaphorically. Because, metaphorically speaking, the moon is also used to describe 'eyes,' and you successfully hid the jewel from everyone's eyes by using the lights."

He now got a reaction from the thief: a proud smile. Conan can't deny that the whole thing was pretty clever, but for the thief to give him a proud smile for figuring it out? He must truly be crazy, but that's what makes him one of a kind.

Conan looked over the thief's shoulder at the nearby buildings behind him thoughtfully. "With your stunt, I think by now you successfully distracted Them long enough for the police back-up to arrive. I would wager that is why you're acting so confident right now."

KID grinned in delight. "As usual Tantei-kun, excellent job! I knew I liked you for a reason." He tapped a finger to his chin thoughtfully, "It _is_ true I'm counting on them being too disoriented by the lights to take a shot at me, but that obviously won't last long. And you talking to me isn't really helping anybody. It has been a delightful night, Tantei-kun. But if you will excuse me, I will be taking my leave now." He then proceeded to reach into his pockets, and Conan knew he didn't have much time left before he got dosed with sleeping gas.

"The last line!" He hurriedly blurted out, making the thief freeze. "You promised that you will keep the jewel safe from _'the ones that adore its light'._ It's the crows, isn't it?" Of course, he couldn't exactly let the whole world know of Their existence, but just talking about 'crows' should be more than enough for him to understand.

There wasn't really a change in his face or appearance, but Conan could _definitely_ feel the temperature around them drop as KID took in what he told him. " _Crows_? You mean the birds?" KID said in disbelief, though Conan could just see the slight tensing of his frame. "What could simple birds do against me that will warrant a mention in my notice? Clearly, your disguising has left you addled in the brain."

 _KID is unsettled._  Conan realized. He's trying so hard to hide it but it's still there. Even so, he's not going to stop here when he's so close to getting information. "Do you really want me to say what They are out here in the open?" He bluffed. "If I do that, snipers will be the least of our problems, you know."

KID remained silent, but Conan's not going to back down one bit. The information he needs is _right there._ If he backs down now, it may be a long time before he sees KID again.

On the other hand, Kagami quickly realized that Conan's not going to back down so easily. And so, KID's tone quickly abandoned all sorts of pretense and is now as cold as ice. " _Where did you learn that?"_

"That's a long story for another day." Conan immediately waved that off, there's simply no time for storytelling when they're currently about to get sniped at. "But please tell me the truth. You're dealing with Them, right?"

This time, the KID's expression looked positively angry. "I knew I should have gassed you when I had the chance..." He murmured in a low tone. "You know too much, Tantei-kun."

"It's a long story," Conan repeated. "But I need to know: are you with Them, or are you against Them?"

Expecting to be rejected yet again or even distracted, KID's immediate answer completely surprised Conan. "The day I become allies with them is the day I'll use all my skills to become a serial killer, and you wouldn't want _that_ , would you?" His cold glare fixed on Conan and he suddenly became highly aware of how utterly frightening and _doomed_ the world will be if it will have Kaitou KID – with all his skills for disguising, his ease with breaking-and-entering into anywhere he puts his mind to, excellent marksmanship, and ability to escape without a trace – as an enemy. He would be just as bad as the Organization, if not _the_ worst.

He didn't get the chance to respond though, when several things suddenly happened at once; The door leading to the rooftop suddenly banging open as hundreds of police officers ran out, His body instinctively dodging to the left as a very familiar card suddenly shot his way, and a thick cloud of white smoke suddenly appearing directly in front of him that signaled the thief's abrupt disappearance.

Conan was left staring in shock at the chaos surrounding him. It seems that the police back-up finally arrived, but it had been at a very wrong time. Now he'll have to wait until KID's next heist before he could ask any more questions, and it grated on his nerves. He'd been right there! Why didn't he ask immediately instead of stalling?

He turned his head to look at the card jutting up out of the ground. This was the part that confused him. Why did KID shot at him? It doesn't make any sense, unless he wanted to prove that he could be a killer if he wanted to. Unless...

This time, he ignored the card in favor of staring past that where a bullet-sized hole is currently resting in the spot where his head had been. A quick check around KID's last known position revealed another still-smoking bullet hole.

**...**


End file.
